analyse of the film His Girl Friday 1940
Uploaded by CaseyP on Sep 08, 2016
Analyzing the Theme of Femininity in His Girl Friday 1940 Movie
Name:
Institution:
Date:
Introduction
The film, His Girl Friday, which is directed by Howard Hawks, highlights femininity and masculinity in the society. The film challenges the traditional values and their depiction of gendered roles. It illustrates a tolerant range of sexual values that influence the thinking towards male dominance, gender politics, and female inequality in the society. It also explores equality between the sexes as opposed to exploitation that emanates from societal values. It is evident from the film that one can achieve political-sexual parity using intelligence and socio-economic independence. However, striking a balance between the customary expectations and personal goals is not easy due to challenges in identifying the right path.
Gender politics remains a controversial matter, especially in the modern civilization. The issue emanates from the social revolution regarding the portrayal of women and gender-centered roles. His Girl Friday reflects the conflicts and challenges that women face due to traditional norms and collective values. Hildy embraces femininity as she accepts the traditional principles, but seeks to ensure personal success (Hawks, 1942). It is also evident that success for women is sometimes jeopardized by values and norms in the society. Often, stereotypes in the society make it difficult for women to realize their personal goals. For instance, making a decision on whether to leave the newspaper business to start a family was not easy for Hildy. Feminism and women remain critical issues in the modern world. Men are slowly appreciating the need to empower women as a means to achieve their goals as well as enhance equality.
Thesis Statement: Women fail to realize their professional and life goals owing to the stereotypes about their abilities and the traditional perspective on gender-centered values in the society.
Scene 1
Hildy is seen as ‘one of the boys’ in the film, although she is a woman, with a reporter referring to her as ‘Hildegard’. Male colleagues have accepted to treat her as a man due to his attitudes and actions. At one point, they invite her to participate in a poker game, which was a reserve for men. However, they assert that Hildy was not competent enough to triumph in a male-dominated field. Her competence is not a threat to reporters. Like many other women, she undergoes pain and struggles in a male-dominated community (Hawks, 1942). Often, men feel threatened by powerful and successful women in the society. As such,...